Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Topeka, Kan.
(May 30, 1968) – “All I have to do to get more speed out of that car, is stand
harder on the gas pedal.”

That what
Ernie Derr, eight-time International Motor Contest Association stock car
champion said prior to Thursday’s Memorial Day Classic late model stock car
race at Mid America Fairgrounds. Derr made the statement in explanation of why
he’s not too worried about losing three of his first four starts this season.

Thursday
night he proved what he meant. Coming into the home straightaway of the
half-mile track on lap 3 of the 50-lap feature, Derr saw an opening. It was a
call for more speed…

He stood on
it and the red 1968 Dodge Charger responded, and the Keokuk, Iowa, veteran was
through the opening and in the lead. He was never in any danger of losing it
for the remainder of the race.

Ramo Stott
of Keokuk, Iowa, piloting a 1968 Plymouth, made a good race of it, but there
was no catching Derr. His performance would indicate there will be a lot more
Derr victories in the race ahead.

The biggest
stock car field ever to appear here, 32 cars, was greeted by one of the largest
crowds in recent years, 6,500. Every man, woman, and child was electrified by
the showing of a bespectacled young man from Wichita, Kan., Leon Bowman.

Bowman
finished no better than seventh in the feature, but his drive in the heat race
made him the hero of the night with the fans.

Bowman drove
a 1968 Mustang, the first of that breed to race with the stock cars here. It
was the first time on the track for him in that car. In the third heat, he
passed 11 cars to gain a victory worthy of a standing ovation from the crowd.
After that, his every move was greeted with a roar from the paying customers.

Monday, May 28, 2018

Eldon, Iowa
(May 28, 1973) – It was cold and damp at the Wapello County Fairgrounds on
Memorial Day but the racing surface was perfect for the International Motor
Contest Association sprint cars.

The track
record was unofficially broke during hot laps but when it counted, Darryl
Dawley of Sioux Falls, S.D., set quick time, touring the big half-mile dirt
oval in 22.92 seconds, breaking last year’s record of 23.46 set by Dick
Sutcliffe of Greenwood, Mo.

Dawley would
claim a controversial win over Jerry Blundy of Galesburg, Ill., in the first
heat. Blundy slowed on the backstretch with his arm in the air expecting a
yellow flag to wave for Larry Cramblet of Macomb, Ill., who had spun into the
ditch in turn two. The judges counted him in the clear and held green as Dawley
shot by Blundy for the lead and the eventual win.

The second
heat was marred by the only real accident of the program when Thad Dosher of
Topeka, Kan., flipped into the wall in turn two, tearing out a section of
corrugated steel and sending Dosher to a local hospital where he was treated
and released. Bill Utz of Sedalia, Mo., took the win over Ray Lee Goodwin.

Larry
Kirkpatrick, driving Jim Utt’s Chevy out of Algona, Iowa, started eighth,
slipped through traffic to take the lead by lap 3 and went on to win the third
heat.

Goodwin won
the trophy dash in 1 minute and 58 seconds, a full 10 seconds faster than last
year’s record of 2 minutes and 8 seconds set by Dick Sutcliffe.

The scheduled
30-lap feature was shortened to four laps when the rains came, turning the
track surface to grease. The victory was given to Ray Lee Goodwin, the leader
when the race came to a halt.

Saturday, May 26, 2018

Topeka, Kan.
(May 26, 1974) – It was a good day for drivers who hadn’t had much time in
their cars they drove in the IMCA Memorial Day Classic at the Mid-America
Fairgrounds on Sunday.

Gerry
Harrison, in just his second race in his 1972 Chevelle, led the 50-lap feature
green to checkered to score the victory over Bill Schwader of Pleasant Valley,
Iowa, who was three car lengths back at the finish.

It was
Schwader’s second race in his 1971 Ford Torino he purchased from Ron Hutcherson
of Keokuk, Iowa, a former IMCA competitor.

Finishing
fourth was Jim Dreasher of Topeka, driving the Dean Anderson 1974 Chevelle for
the very first time. Shorty Acker of Windsor, Mo., slipped by him in the waning
laps to take third.

One of the
smallest crowds to watch a IMCA-sanctioned stock car race at the fairgrounds
was on hand for the program that had been rained out Saturday night.

Harrison
dealt with a variety of drivers in claiming his second Memorial Classic. He won
the event in 1972.

Galen
Schaefer of Topeka, the evening’s fast qualifier, was persistent through the
first half of the race. Then his 1969 Chevelle got sick, started slowing, and
finally retired after 45 laps, finishing tenth.

Defending
IMCA national champion Gordon Blankenship of Keokuk, Iowa, was the next
pursuer. He closed the gap and seemed to be getting within striking position
when his 1970 Dodge started misfiring. He had to retire after 39 circuits and
finished out of the top-10.

Schwader
then took over and slowly cut the margin of Harrison, but was never able to get
close enough to muster a pass. He would settle for second while Acker and
Dreasher were the only other competitors to finish the 50 laps. Of the 21
starters, there were 12 cars left at the end of the race.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Kaukauna,
Wis. (May 23, 1976) – John Ziegler of Madison, Wis., out battled Dick Trickle of
Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., and Dave Watson of Milton, Wis., to win the Spring
Opener 50 late model race at Wisconsin International Raceway on Sunday
afternoon before more than 5,000 spectators.

Ziegler took
the lead from Watson on lap 21 and held off challenges by Watson, Trickle, and
Joe Shear of South Beloit, Ill., to chalk up the victory.

Al Schill of
Franklin, Wis., came off his front row starting spot to pace the 24-car field
for the first six laps before Beloit’s Gary Hemmerling took over the number one
position. Watson then moved to the front on lap 12 with Ziegler close behind.

Ziegler then
worked the inside and outside, looking for an opening, and found a gap on lap
21 as he slipped to the inside of Watson on the front stretch.

Watson would
stay glued to the bumper of Ziegler until three lap from the finish when his
engine soured. Trickle, the winner of the race last year, held down third
position for most the race. On several occasions, he would pull even with
Watson, but dropped out on lap 41 with mechanical problems.

With Watson
and Trickle slacking their pace, Shear moved into the second spot to give chase
to Ziegler, but was six car-lengths short at the checkered flag.

Following
Ziegler and Shear to the finish line were Jim Sauter of Necedah, Wis., Watson,
Tom Reffner of Rudolph, Wis., and Hemmerling.

In other
action, Alan Kulwicki of Milwaukee won the accident-marred 15-lap semi-feature.
Pete Parker of Kaukauna, Wis., and Marv Marzofka of Nekoosa, Wis., won 20-lap
qualifying races.

Friday, May 18, 2018

Bristol,
Tenn. (May 18, 1969) – Ramo Stott of Keokuk, Iowa, twice ran out of gas at the
Bristol International Speedway, but still managed to win the second annual
Tennessee 500 stock car race by 10 laps. The race was sanctioned by the
Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA).

Stott guided
his multi-colored 1969 Plymouth to a first-place finish as rain halted the
500-lap contest at the 412-lap mark. Stott was 10 laps ahead of second-place
finisher Andy Hampton of Louisville, Ky., in a 1969 Dodge.

Stott
average 73.163 miles per hour as three caution flags slowed the pace for 43
laps. The last 21 circuits were run under caution as a steady drizzle slowly
soaked the approximately 6,000 race fans in attendance.

Pole-sitter
Benny Parsons of Detroit, Mich., driving a 1969 Ford, was 11 laps behind in
third place. Bobby Watson of Prestonsburg, Ky., the 1968 Tennessee 500 winner,
was fourth in a 1969 Dodge and Iggy Katona of Willis, Mich., was fifth, 16 laps
behind in a 1969 Dodge.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

West
Chester, Ohio (May 16, 1976) – Butch Hartman, four-time United States Auto Club
(USAC) stock-car champion, handily won the Automobile Racing Club of America
(ARCA) 100-lap Grand National race Sunday at Woody Fisher's Tri-County
Speedway, leading from start to finish, and taking the checkered under the
caution flag and raindrops. He drove a 1974 Dodge Charger for the win and was
followed by LeMarr Marshall, A. Arnold, and Bob Dotter, on the same lap.

Fast time
went to Marshall at 19.464 seconds in the ARCA Grand National Division, but
Woody Fisher powered his making 1976 Chevelle to the trophy dash victory over
Marshall, Hartman, and Arnold. Luther Burton notched a 10-lap heat victory over
Kenny Black, Larry Scott, and Willard Googe; while the second heat was won by
Bruce Gould over Moose Myers, Ralph Jones, and Charlie Moore.

Race
favorite Woody Fisher was eliminated from the contest before one lap is
completed when Marshall, after receiving a push start from Fisher, lost power
again on the green flag and Fisher was obliged to bump him. Marshall's car
continued but Fisher pitted with a broken gear.

The race saw
for caution periods for total of 23 laps the first flew after the Fisher –
Marshall brush, lasting three laps. The second appeared on the 11th circuit
when Cleve Smith spun on the main stretch. Caution number three was shown on
lap 16 when Larry Scott blew an engine. The final yellow bunting flew on the
91st counter for oil on the track from Tony Schiller’s mount and was compounded
several laps later by showers.

Monday, May 14, 2018

West Allis,
Wis. (May 14, 1989) - Scott Hansen of Green Bay, Wis., captured the Badgerland
150 at Wisconsin State Fair Park to become the first rookie to win an American
Speed Association event on Sunday.

Never before
in the history of ASA had a rookie won a race until the Wisconsin short track
veteran of seven years took the checkered flag in front of Canadian Junior
Hanley on the famed “Milwaukee Mile”.

Hansen drove
the Baker Motorsports Chevrolet, which is prepared only 10 blocks away from the
track, to the biggest win of his stock car racing career. The rookie of the
year contender became the second different winner in two ASA races.

Hansen
averaged 84.149 miles per hour and won $8,650 from a $83,600 purse.

In his first
full season with ASA and winning in only his 16th career start, Hansen said, “I
didn’t expect to win so quickly in ASA. This is my biggest win so far and it
means a lot to win here in Wisconsin.”

Hanley held
the lead for 26 laps before the first and only flurry of pit stops for the lead
pack on lap 66 and dropped to 10th before working his way through the field to
finish second.

Butch
Miller, the ASA point leader, was among the top-eight before making his
late-race charge from sixth and challenging Hanley side-by-side for several
laps. He would settle for third place.

Wisconsin
veteran Dick Trickle made his 1989 ASA debut and finish fourth while Mike Eddy,
driving a V6 Buick, rounded out the top five.

NASCAR
Winston Cup veteran and former ASA champions Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin did
not finish. Wallace grabbed the lead from Hansen on lap 12 and held it for 27
circuits before retiring with transmission issues. Martin’s return to Milwaukee
was marred by a broken axle sustained in a mishap on a restart.

Fifteen cars
completed the full 150-mile distance and 27 of the 41-car field were running at
the finish of the 18th ASA sanctioned race on the Milwaukee Mile since 1978.

Saturday, May 12, 2018

Cedar Rapids, Iowa (May 12, 1967) - Veteran Benny Hofer may have surprised even a few of his avid fans last weekend at Davenport and Cedar Rapids in the season openers. The Rock Island, Ill., car jockey, who finished second at the Downs and sixth at Davenport in total points last year, did startle officials with his machine.

Hofer drove a Studebaker onto the
quarter-mile oval for hot laps and observers failed to recall the last time
that make of car adorned a track.

The Studebaker is equipped with a
Chevy 327 engine. It's legal, according to stock racing rules, because
Chevrolet actually built the engines for Studebaker when the Hawk hit the
market.

Anyone who may have laughed when
Benny made his appearance probably wasn’t laughing when the night’s racing
program ended.

Benny showed once again he will
be a driver to be reckoned with for the point championship by grabbing second
places in a heat and semi event. He'll be ready to go again at the Downs Saturday
when the regular racing program resumes at 8 p.m.

We were impressed with the way
Promoter Frank Winkley and his Auto Racing, Inc., track crew handled the
Hawkeye 200 affair last Sunday. Wink appears as nervous as an expectant
first-time papa but he’s big-league all the way. He was on top of the action
every second and at no time did we notice him let the fans suffer through a
lull in the program. The guy is colorful.

All events were run off on
schedule, plus Wink displayed a bit of showmanship by using the PA mike to let
the fans in on the drivers’ meeting. Additional color was added when the
drivers raced to their cars once they were introduced for the scheduled 200-
lapper. All in all, it was a great show with some superb racing.

Preserving the history of Midwest Auto Racing

So much racing history has been made through the years right here in the Midwest.

From the rich dirt ovals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska to the paved short tracks in Minnesota and Wisconsin, some of the best drivers ever to get behind the wheel of a race car competed right here in the heartland.

We all have our own story to share about our favorite driver who thrilled us everytime they rolled onto the track or that one particular race that still stands out as the greatest they ever saw.

We'll go back in history, 10, 20, 30, 40, even 50 years ago (even more) and reminisce about what has made racing in the Midwest so special for us.